1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a testing apparatus associated with a fuselage structure having double curvature.
2. Discussion of the Background
More particularly, the present invention is aimed at providing a testing apparatus that permits testing the static strength, fatigue strength and tolerance to damage of fuselage structures having double curvature, or in other words longitudinal and circumferential curvature.
In practice, these fuselage structures are fuselage rings typically used to construct the aft or fore fuselage of an airplane.
It is known that such a testing apparatus can be used to apply to the fuselage structure, by means of a force-application system, stresses representative of the stresses undergone by the fuselage structure during its use. These stresses are typically tensile or compressive forces exerted in the longitudinal direction of the structure, torsional forces around the circumference of the structure and pressure forces related to the pressure difference existing between the interior and exterior of the aircraft.
For example, there is known a testing apparatus making it possible to apply pressure forces and an axial mechanical load to a structure having simple curvature, of the same type as a cylindrical ring, as described in the document “Development of a test fixture for fuselage curved panels”, by M. Langon and C. Meyer, CEAT, ICAF 1999, pages 745 to 753.
Nevertheless, such a testing apparatus cannot be applied to a fuselage structure having double curvature and still be representative of the real stresses experienced by the airplane's fuselage structure.